According to Tian Zui and others' speculation, the Road of Hunger is a shortcut to the world of gourmet food.
Divided by danger, only the outermost area is the green light zone, Tian Zui and their group's activity tracks are in the yellow light zone, and the red light zone above level 90...
The few of them had only been there once.
Ever since they narrowly escaped death and almost lost their lives inside, they had never set foot there again.
The Road of Hunger is just a general term, with many small areas inside. For example, the forest inhabited by elf unicorns – Rivendell.
There, magical creatures are seen everywhere.
According to Mr. Luo's description, those magics were full of fairy tale flavor, not the elemental control of Japanese anime or novels.
Like turning people into toads...
Thumb-sized humanoid races...
Beans that turn into soldiers when scattered on the ground...
A girl born from bamboo, who can cook.
A snow woman who will have children with you, take care of you, but won't speak.
Thorns that cause eternal sleep when a finger is pricked, with a kiss from the opposite sex as the antidote.
Tian Zui and his group ventured into the depths of the Rivendell forest and encountered a witch...
"Does that witch have the ability to restore taste and smell?"
"What's the price?"
Mr. Luo said, "Don't rush."
"How can I not be anxious? I've been listening to two hours of calls and adventure stories! Let's get to the main plot directly and curb your desire to build suspense!"
Zhang Wei swore.
This Mr. Luo was not only a chef and a blacksmith, but also a storyteller.
He narrated these fairy tales so vividly and engagingly that Zhang Wei himself couldn't help but want to become a gourmet hunter.
After Zhang Wei's protest, the subsequent story was significantly compressed.
The witch stated that she could save him, but required him to obtain some legendary items for her.
The team members endured countless hardships to gather them, and of course, they also made significant progress on their journey to collect the items.
Later, Tian Zui realized that these legendary items were actually for restoring taste and smell, not what the witch needed.
Mr. Luo said, "My taste has not been restored. Instead, the witch helped me rebuild a new taste system. Initially, my senses were still dull, but as I consumed more delicious food, my sensory organs would gradually evolve."
"If you can find that witch, I think it will definitely be no problem."
Road of Hunger... Rivendell Forest...
"Can the location be more specific?"
"There is no specific location. Meeting the witch requires fate. If the witch wants to see you, she will naturally find you."
Fate?
This kind of thing was the most unreliable.
Such ephemeral concepts made Zhang Wei, with his purely rational thinking, very uncomfortable.
However, in this world, metaphysics was a tangible and theoretically grounded concept.
According to the manga, before the gourmet explosion billions of years ago, the core of the universe was inhabited by so-called Gourmet Gods, incomparable to gourmet demons.
After these Gourmet Gods died, they became something unfathomable, akin to spirits. They would attach themselves to all living beings, helping them to have a greater chance of obtaining ingredients.
This is what is called gourmet luck!
Divine assistance!
Zhang Wei pondered whether the "Voice of Ingredients" in the original work was also based on this principle.
"However... I can't just wait. I have to go to that forest and try."
Zhang Wei said, "Mr. Luo, that forest..."
"Rivendell Forest, it should be a term from the elven language."
"Mm, is this Rivendell Forest very dangerous?"
"Of course! Rivendell Forest is deep within the Road of Hunger, a definite yellow light zone. There are very dangerous areas all around. Even for us three experienced individuals, we have to be extremely cautious. Any slight accident could lead to death."
Yellow light zone...
A place where creatures above level 45 congregate.
Creatures above level 90 would occasionally appear.
Even for Zhang Wei, it was a place of great peril, where he dared not act recklessly.
Moreover, the higher the level of the animals and plants, the more bizarre their abilities would become. Few would be foolish enough to engage Zhang Wei in a physical confrontation.
For Zhang Wei, physical combat was the easiest type to deal with.
It seemed...
He needed someone familiar with the area to help him, so they could look out for each other.
Zhang Wei didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Losing my sense of taste and smell is quite troubling to me. I wish to go to Rivendell Forest to find that witch... Can you help me?"
Mr. Luo hesitated.
For such a dangerous place, having a "pig teammate" would be a disaster.
Furthermore, they were not familiar with Zhang Wei...
Tian Zui clapped Mr. Luo on the shoulder, "Hey, Mr. Zhang Wei helped the Black List out so much, and he was injured because of the Black List. We should help him."
Mr. Luo thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Then... Mr. Zhang Wei, let's make three agreements. We can take you, but you must follow our arrangements on the way and not act on your own."
"No problem."
Zhang Wei was quite willing to trust professionals.
Zhang Wei flipped his hand, and two huge fruits appeared, still exuding misty vapor, forming tiny rainbows.
"This is my first time meeting you, so please accept this token of my appreciation."
"You've come from the yellow light zone and seen countless rare treasures, so please don't be offended."
Mr. Luo exclaimed, "Fruit of Treasure! Rainbow Fruit! Isn't this an extinct ingredient?"
In the Great Gourmet Era, countless ingredients went extinct daily, but the Rainbow Fruit was too famous.
Tian Zui was also stunned, "Is this the super-concentrated fruit you mentioned that can change flavor, one of the most treasured ingredients?"
Mr. Luo rubbed his hands excitedly, "Mr. Zhang is indeed extraordinary, to possess such a treasure..."
"You know the Rainbow Fruit?"
"Of course. The appetizer for my Life Menu was going to be based on it."
Life Menu!
After so long since transmigrating, someone finally mentioned this classic setting from the original work!
Completing the Life Menu was the lifelong pursuit of every gourmet hunter and chef. It was a path of self-improvement!
Zhang Wei secretly mused: It seems this time period already has this setting, it's just not widespread yet. It's only found in more high-end circles.
Mr. Luo asked, "Mr. Zhang Wei, do you know about the Life Menu?"
"Of course."
"My Life Menu is a Western-style full course with eight dishes. What about yours? How many have you collected?"
Zhang Wei said, "Unfortunately, I only have one so far. However, it's not a Western-style full course. My Life Menu is a Chinese-style full banquet."
"Chinese? Never heard of it."
"It's a large banquet with over 160 dishes, also known as a grand feast!"
"There's a complex sequence of dishes, roughly divided into 3 days, 12 servings, and 36 categories. Each category has unique multiple dishes!"
Mr. Luo spat out his drink!
He couldn't believe his ears!
"What did you say?"